Jim Baines: Recently Added Galleries and Collections

Amthor Avenue

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Thu, 17 May 2012 03:50:43 GMT

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Tegeticula yuccasella

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:40:20 GMT

]]>Yucca moth, Tegeticula yuccasella, inside the flower of a Twist-leaf yucca, (Yucca rupicola (lives in rock)), at West Fort Hood, Texas

Yuccas have a very specialized, mutualistic pollination system, being pollinated by yucca moths; the insect purposefully transfers the pollen from the stamens of one plant to the stigma of another, and at the same time lays an egg in the flower; the moth larva then feeds on some of the developing seeds, always leaving enough seed to perpetuate the species. Yucca species are the host plants for the caterpillars of the Yucca Giant-Skipper (Megathymus yuccae),
Ursine Giant-Skipper (Megathymus ursus), and Strecker's Giant-Skipper (Megathymus streckeri).

Narrow-leaf Purple Coneflower

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Wed, 09 May 2012 22:31:45 GMT

]]>Echinacea angustifolia

Millions of echinacea roots have been wild harvested over the last decade. The average harvest of Echinacea angustifolia alone was 155,000 pounds per year from 1997 to 2001 (American Herbal Products Association 2003), and this does not include other Echinacea species that we know have been wild harvested. We know from weighing echinacea roots in the field that there are about 100 roots in a pound of dried echinacea root, which would mean that an average of 15.5 million E. angustifolia roots have been harvested per year from 1997 to 2001, and that’s just one species. It is this very high demand and harvest that has driven the discussion of the need for laws to protect against the over-harvest of wild echinacea.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/wildlife/tes/ca-overview/docs/Plants/Echinacea.pdf

Edited by
Kelly Kindscher
2021 Constant Ave.
Kansas Biological Survey
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66046
Phone: 785-864-1529
Email: Kindscher@KU.edu

"Ol' Ugly" video

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Sun, 06 May 2012 19:54:04 GMT

]]>Released at Fort Hood "Cantonment B Kid's Pond",
6 May 2012

Ol' Ugly

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Sun, 06 May 2012 16:15:56 GMT

]]>Common Snapping Turtle
Chelydra serpentina

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:48:55 GMT

]]>Nyctanassa violacea

San Antonio River, San Antonio, Texas

Both sexes help build the nest, which can be as high as 60 feet or so, away from the trunk on a horizontal limb, often hanging over water. This one is located over the San Antonio River about 20 feet high in a Pond Cypress. The female stands on the nest site while the male carries sticks to her as part of the pair-bonding process. As the nest comes along, the female begins to gather sticks as well—the birds typically strip sticks from the limbs of dead trees rather than gathering them from the ground. Sticks can be up to about 2 feet long and 1 inch thick. The twig nest is sometimes lined with leaves, vines, or Spanish moss. The nest takes about 11 days to build initially, night-herons use them for several years, adding to them each year. Nests can be 4 feet across, with just a shallow depression inside for the eggs.

The Cat's In The Cradle

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Tue, 01 May 2012 01:35:06 GMT

]]>The lyrics to the verses of the song "The Cats In The Cradle" were originally written as a poem by Sandy Chapin who is credited as the song's co-writer. The song is told in first-person by a father who is too busy to spend time with his son. Though the son asks him to join in childhood activities, the father always responds with little more than vague promises of spending time together in the future, peppered with images from nursery rhymes. While wishing to spend time with his father, the son continues to admire him. This shapes the son's future behavior, as shown in the slightly-altered line "But we'll get together then, Dad". The final verse is a reverse of the roles, where the father asks his now grown-up son to visit, but the son responds with his father's line. The father then reflects that they are both alike.

The Beauty of a Butterfly

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 13:19:15 GMT

]]>Dedicated to

Angela Lewis
Chamber of Commerce
Llano, Texas

I was fortunate enough to meet a "butterfly" recently while photographing Bald eagles near Llano, Texas. It was in the form of Angela Lewis of the Llano Chamber of Commerce. I don't know her well, but I know she has endured pain, misery, suffering and hardship prior to becoming a double-lung (bilateral) transplant recipient. Amazingly, she has metamorphosed into a wonderfully pleasant person with a magnetic personality, a beautiful smile and a kind word or gesture for everyone. She could very well be a lady dreaming she was a butterfly ... or is she really a butterfly dreaming she is a lady. Whichever way you want to call it, the Earth could use a lot more people, and butterflies, like Angela. Thank you, Angela, for all that you do so willingly for so many.

Our Texas Dodecatheon

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:07:29 GMT

]]>Eastern Shooting Star
Dodecatheon meadia

Beginning of a fresh new season after a severe drought followed by a "prescribed burn" at Doeskin Ranch during mid-January 2012.

Having observed this area for almost three years, I am convinced that Dr. Walter Stewart's watering efforts during the heat and dryness of July/August 2011 played a major role in the survival of the plants you enjoy here.

Vivaldi's Four Seasons - Spring
~ Antonio Vivaldi (1725) ~
Thank YOU, Mary "Piano" Smith!

Eastern Shooting Star ~ 2011
http://job2458.zenfolio.com/p54233258/slideshow

If You Ain't Been to Click ~ You Ain't Been to Texas!

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:51:08 GMT

]]>CR 310
CR 308
CR 315
Llano County, Texas

Bluebonnet Run #1

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:00:14 GMT

]]> 1 - 36 Horseshoe Bend, Marble Falls

37 - 41 Sandy Creek (Click Road)

42 - 47 Texas 71

48 - 55 Honey Creek

56 - 125 Willow City Loop

126 - 131 Texas 16

132 - 157 Texas 16 (Llanite site)

158 - 186 Texas 29 (Llano & Fuzzy's Corner)

187 - 203 Frank & Sandra visit, 15 April 2012

Bewick's wren in a 7 Medium

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:56:36 GMT

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High Island, Texas

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:53:09 GMT

]]>The Rookery
The U-shaped island in the middle of Clay Bottom Pond has become a favored roosting and nesting place for thousands of waterbirds. In the spring and summer, herons, egrets, cormorants and spoonbills build their nests and raise their chicks on the predator-free island. Visitors to the sanctuary are able to get a good close look at the home life of these beautiful birds throughout the breeding season.

Year round the island is used as a night roost by the same species of birds that nest here. The appreciate having a safe place to spend the night that is close to the marshes where they feed. The most spectacular time of day to visit the rookery is the last hour before dark when the birds are coming in for the night.

Lazy Afternoon

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 01:59:30 GMT

]]>Watching and recording a few Hummers out back.

Bluebonnet Run #2 ~ Click, Texas

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 01:09:46 GMT

]]>Marble Falls to Click, Texas via CR 2147, Texas Hwy 71, CR 310, CR 315, CR 308 and return to Marble Falls.

28 March 2012

Texas Wildflower Bouquet ~ 2012

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 01:02:22 GMT

]]>Vivaldi's Four Seasons - Spring
~ Antonio Vivaldi ~
(1735)

Llano River Bald Eagles 2011-2012

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:11:36 GMT

]]>This is a culmination of more than 3700 photos taken over a 5 month period. Twenty-seven trips to the nest between 3 October 2011 - 1 March 2012, 3439 miles, 54 hours of driving, 181 gallons ($602.73) of 87 octane, and more than 200 man/hours of photo/slide editing.
In this brief (17 minutes) slideshow you will witness nest building, flying, falling, soaring, takeoffs, landings, perching, preening, pooping and mating. See the little gray heads of the young about two weeks after they hatch and are strong enough to move around. See adults delivering a bounty of fish and an occasional water turtle. Witness the growth of the young from several ounces at birth to the size of an adult (10-12 lbs) by the tender age of 11 weeks. Watch them grow week by week, watch them fall, watch them exercise new wings, watch them fledge and soar.
Enjoy the antics of the adults turning topsy-turvy as they attempt to pluck twigs and small limbs from trees while in flight. If their judgment is off, and routinely it is, they hang on with their talons and recover gracefully while returning to normal flight, sometimes with the limb, sometimes without. See almost every conceiveable position an eagle and/or its wings can assume while maneuvering. View them at a distance .. see them close up ... see them eye-to-eye. The viewing area is 92 yards from the nest ... the average shot is between 80-140+ yards, depending on the activity they're engaged in.
These spectacular displays of these magnificent raptors are peppered with a few shots of my favorite local birdwatchers and photographers.
A special "Semper Fi" to retired Marine, and close friend, Don Reese, for providing several exceptional shots of "fish deliveries" on days I could not be on the scene.

"West Texas"
~ Doug Smith ~

Llano River Bald Eagle Watchers & Photographers ~ 2011-2012

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 03:02:04 GMT

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Return of The Eagles

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:55:52 GMT

]]>Dedicated to Buchanan Dam-Inks Lake Chamber of Commerce, Buchanan Dam, Texas

Buchanan Dam was initially the site of a construction camp established to build the first of the major flood-control and power-generation facilities on the Colorado River. The project was originally known as Bluffton Dam for the nearby town of Bluffton, but the name was changed to Hamilton Dam, perhaps because its location had been surveyed in 1926 by an engineer named Hamilton. Some say it was named after G. W. Hamilton, vice president of the Middle West Utility Company of Chicago, a company that represented the Insul interests active in developing electrical power distribution in Texas. The Emery-Peck and Rockwood Development Company undertook the construction of the dam in 1931 and established a post office and a settlement of several hundred workers supported by commercial, medical, and recreational facilities. In 1932 bankruptcy forced the closing of the project. United States Congressman James Paul Buchanan secured federal funds to revive the project in 1934, whereupon the dam, post office, and town were renamed in his honor. The dam was dedicated on October 16, 1937. The town grew steadily as a recreational center, reaching a population of over 1,000 in 1974, when it had numerous businesses. In 1990 the population was 1,099, and in 2000 it had grown to 1,688. (Texas Handbook Online)

Carolina mantis

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:31:08 GMT

]]>Stagmomantis carolina

Eastern Shooting Star ~ 2011

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:20:34 GMT

]]>Eastern Shooting Star
Dodecatheon meadia

Dr. Chuck Sexton, Retired Biologist, Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge & current BCNWR Volunteer

Dr. Walter Stewart, Retired Research Scientist, National Institutes of Health

Sammi Yeo, College Student and volunteer

Doeskin Ranch, April 3, 2011

Music:
"Orchards, Vineyards, and Wildflower Waltz"
Marshall Styler

The "Cloacal Kiss" (00:44 sec. duration)

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:12:35 GMT

]]>Bald eagles mating
Llano River, Llano County, Llano, Texas

How do birds mate?

The mating of most birds starts with a courtship period, in which the male bird tries to woo the female bird. During the courtship period, in order to attract the female bird, the male bird resorts to singing as well as dancing (tail drumming). To show her willingness, the female bird changes the position of her tail and keeps it to the side. This is an indication that she wants the male bird to stand behind her for mating.

For the actual act of birds mating, the male positions his cloaca in proximity to that of the female's cloaca so that the sperm can enter the female bird. The cloacas of both the male and the female are pressed tightly together at this juncture in what is termed as a "cloacal kiss" so that the sperm can pass through smoothly. Once the sperm enters the female bird, it is stored till the time the eggs come out of the ovaries of the female bird. Some species of birds can store the sperm for only about a week while others can store the sperm for hundreds days. When the eggs fall out from the ovaries, they are fertilized by the stored sperms. These fertilized eggs are then laid by the female bird through the same opening i.e., cloaca. (Latin, meaning sewer)

It is not biologically important for birds to mate frequently as the sperm is stored inside the female bird for a long time. Still, birds copulate a number of times during the breeding season as during this time, hormones play havoc with their system and they experience an undeniable urge to have sex.

The majority of birds mate the same way as mentioned above. Post mating, when the eggs are laid, the baby bird grows inside the eggs and to aid this process the male and the female bird incubate it. Finally, one day the egg is hatched and the small baby birds come out from the eggs. The question one should really be concerned about is not how do birds mate but how do we provide them with a conducive environment so that more and more birds are reproduced, whose beauty we can enjoy while bird watching for years to come.

By Asstha Dogra
Published: 7/9/2010

Backyard birds ..

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:07:01 GMT

]]>.. from my backyard to yours

Mafalda's Pride and Joy II

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:22:34 GMT

]]>27 January 2012

Christmas Eve Bird Count

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:36:26 GMT

]]>... in the rain ...

Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored variant)

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:18:30 GMT

]]>Junco hyemalis hyemalis

Overall color varies from pale brown to dark gray with little or no contrast between head and body.

Once a pair is formed, males follow their mates and are seldom more than 50 feet away.

Jamie, Kaden & Reece ~ Christmas 2011

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:49:56 GMT

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Llanite

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:33:27 GMT

]]>Texas Hwy 16
Llano County
Llano, Texas

Llanite, named for the Texas city and county from which it comes, Llano. This igneous rock, sometimes called llanoite or llanolite, can only be found in the Llano uplift in Central Texas. It is a fine-grained granitic rock with phenocrysts of blue quartz and pink feldspar scattered in a dark brown granite.

God Blessed Texas by Little Texas

Great horned owl

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 01:30:20 GMT

]]>Bubo virginianus

Red-tailed hawk

job2458@aol.com (Jim Baines) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:42:09 GMT

]]>Buteo jamaicensis